Profile

Rev. Dr. Judith Hoch Wray

Remembrances

Know Judith Hoch Wray?

Rev. Dr. Judith Hoch Wray is a biblical scholar, a teacher, a homiletician, a writer and a carpenter. Coming out as lesbian in 1969, she has remained committed to integrating her own sexuality and spirituality, standing visibly in the church as one committed to justice for all. Judith developed an AIDS education program in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1984 that began by enlisting and training grandmothers in the African American community. She was a founding member and first moderator of the Coordinating Committee that established the Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples Alliance (GLAD) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a founding member of CLOUT (Christian Lesbians OUT), and the first moderator of the Buchanan Group at New Brunswick Theological Seminary which initiated the Holy Relationships movement through a major national Conference on Theology and Sexuality in 2005. She continues to provide leadership to several national organizations that support LGBT persons and allies who seek justice and integration of sexuality and spirituality. Judith lives in New York City with her long-time partner, Donna M. Prince, teaches part-time at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and at Garrett-Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and serves as a Pastoral Associate at Park Avenue Christian Church.

Dr. Wray's writings include scholarly books and articles as well as numerous columns and articles for The Living Pulpit. Her lay-friendly Bible study entitled Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Christians in the Church: Reflections for Disciples of Christ Who Seek to Discern God’s Will served as a template for the development of the Bible study components of Listening to the Spirit: a Handbook for Discernment (ed. William Paulsell, Chalice, 2001), written by a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) nationally-appointed task force on which she served. She is a member of the Out in Scripture Editorial Advisory Board of the Human Rights Campaign. A powerful preacher and speaker, she is a preaching coach and leads workshops and retreats around the country; her favorite workshop themes include interpreting scripture, spirituality, sexuality, and holy relationships.